Monday, 15 December 2008

My experiences so far with the Green & Black's brand have largely been what I would describe as underwhelming. I know it is a hugely popular brand amongst many readers, but the bars I have reviewed so far have really not been anything to shout about. You only have to look as far the current Chocolate Mission top rated Hotel Chocolat bar to see that 85% cocoa formulations normally prove to be pretty popular with myself. Today I thought I would give the Green & Black's 85% offering a chance, hoping that it would finally deliver a more exciting prospect.

I sampled this product in a 100.0g bar that provided me with three very fulfilling servings. I liked the look of the packaging, the usual brown base colour of the outer layer was complimented nicely by an additional dark secondary colour and gold font - this gave the bar a sophisticated look. The chocolate was also presented well; with the surface having a very smooth complexion and logos implemented on each block. Releasing the bar from its branded gold foil wrapper a strong unsweetened chocolaty scent was very imposing.

The initial flavours of this bar had a bitter edge, though as the melt progressed the taste transformed into a more mellow experience. As the smell suggested the cocoa was quite intense and it did take time for my taste buds to adapt to the raw sharpness of the taste. The melt of the chocolate was fantastic, it melted with a real smoothness and into a nice thick double cream like consistency. As aforementioned the initial intensity did subside into a friendlier sweeter taste, though it still was exceedingly rich. One of the most enjoyable aspects of this bar was the aftertaste, which was nicely rounded with a lovely touch of vanilla. The flavour longevity of this product was extremely long, I could taste the cocoa in my mouth for a great deal of time after consuming each piece.

Overall I have finally come across a Green & Black's bar that I genuinely very much liked. Although initially wary due to the initial bitterness, preserving with this bar was extremely worthwhile and it provided a fantastic, full flavoured dark chocolate. The texture was wonderfully smooth, and the taste was strong and rich. Personally my preference is still very much with the equivalent Hotel Chocolat bar, and to a lesser extent Lindt's similar offering. Still though, this was a highly satisfying dark chocolate, and is one that I would highly recommend as a cheaper alternative.